Desperate times call for desperate measures, and no time in history was as desperate as the time when the world’s most powerful nations were determined in destroying each other. It was time of the Second World War, and the allies were running out of essential resources needed to construct military and naval equipment. One of them was steel.

In the North Atlantic, the British fleets were taking a pounding against the German U-boats. Allied supply ships on their way across the ocean were being intercepted and sunk by German U-boats at an alarming rate. Planes could protect the ships, but they cannot be deployed in the middle of the ocean without aircraft carriers, and those things are massive and required enormous quantities of steel to manufacture, which was in short supply. What was needed was a way for aircraft to land and refuel without overtaxing already strained resources.

The city is in a state of great disorder. Why, I will let others bitch and moan about politics and struggles for power. Here in this clip, you can get an idea of how Syria's largest city has turned into a shithole.

Mohammad Alaa Jaleel, an incredibly brave and compassionate man who lives in the Masaken Hanano neighborhood of war-torn Aleppo, Syria, has taken it upon himself to care for the increasing number of cats who have been left behind by families fleeing for safety. Alaa has set up a small sanctuary named "La Casa Dei Gatti Ernesto", a place where the cats can feel safe and be fed. Not only does this amazing man take care of the abandoned cats, but his day job as a paramedic has him taking care of anyone who needs his help, especially children. Because of his big heart, Alaa has gained a great many admirers, including some who rightfully want to nominate him for a Nobel Prize.

Located squarely between Greenland and Canadia, unassuming Hans Island has no resources other than its location - and Denmark and Canadia have been battling over it for years. Fortunately, the battles consist entirely of taking down each other's flags and leaving a bottle of hooch for the next wave.

"On September 7, 2011 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, a homemade bomb detonated beside Sergeant First Class Aaron Causey, costing him both legs, several fingers, and portions of his reproductive organs. THE NEXT PART, uniquely told from his wife, Kathleen's, point of view, details the couple's remarkable journey through recovery, as well as their struggle to conceive before Aaron's medical treatments will eventually sterilize him."

It was a sunny, mostly clear Sunday in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when the unexpected hum of planes cut through the warm Hawaiian air. In a period of just two hours, 353 Japanese aircraft laid siege to the U.S. naval base, sinking 18 ships and destroying nearly 200 aircraft in a sneak attack that killed more than 2,400 Americans and wounded over 1,000 more.

It's the height of the Cold War and the United States government is desperate to combat the spread of Communism. The CIA launches a highly classified, top secret research program into the covert use of biological and chemical agents. In simulated attacks on enemy populations, entire cities in America are contaminated with bacteria, exposing millions of Americans to germ warfare. But the real focus of the research is on mastering the art of mind control. Psychiatrists at top academic institutions work under secret contract with the agency. Psychiatric patients, prisoners, even unwitting members of the public are exposed to a startling array of experiments designed to facilitate interrogations, induce amnesia and program in new behavior. Every psychological technique is explored, including hypnosis, electroshock therapy and lethal cocktails of drugs. What was the extent of these brainwashing experiments? How did the CIA become involved in such far-reaching and disturbing research? Join us as National Geographic presents: CIA Secret Experiments.

It's well known that Hollywood take artistic license when it comes to retelling history. As for war movies, the day-to-day lives of soldiers, the humdrum truths and the hard facts don't always translate well onto the silver screen. Modern audiences are hungry for fast-paced action and entertainment, and this is reflected in what they're served up. Moreover, in some cases, incorrect reporting and political agendas can twist reality even further.

When most people think of the Air Force, they think of fighter jets and Adam Baldwin's character from Independence Day. From its inception however, the Air Force has "aimed higher" than the stratosphere. Here are a few things you might not have known about the Air Force.

During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from being a target for a Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting and to make it look like a rural housing subdivision from the air.

Some tried bombs to neutralise the Fuhrer, others tried bullets. All failed. Now it has come to light that British spies looked at an even more audacious way of derailing the man behind the German war machine - by giving him female sex hormones.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Fessenden is on duty in Afghanistan now after tours with the Army in Iraq. He has traveled with standard-issue equipment -- weapons, helmet, uniform, boots and so forth -- plus a radio-controlled model truck his brother Ernie sent.